Human hair is the keratin-containing threadlike outgrowths extending from hair follicles in the skin. In humans, hair generally serves protective, sensory, and sexual attractiveness functions. Without being bound by any particular theory, it is believed that a mature hair shaft is composed of three, and sometimes four, basic structures. The cuticle is the thick outer protective covering consisting of flat overlapping scale-like layers. The cortex is located inside, and is surrounded by, the cuticle. The cortex contains fibrous proteins which are aligned along the length of the hair axis. Thicker hairs often contain one or more porous regions—the medulla—located near or at the center of the hair shaft. The fourth basic component is the intercellular cement which glues or binds the cells together and provides the main pathway for diffusion into the hair fibers. Melanocytes which produce melanin, the pigment responsible for hair color, are generally contained in the cortex and the base of the bulb of the hair shaft. Essential nutrients and oxygen are carried to the growing hair through capillaries around the base of the bulb.
Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter. Levels of melanin can vary over time causing a person's hair color to change, and it is possible to have hair follicles of more than one color. Black hair is the darkest and most common of all human hair colors globally. It is a dominant genetic trait, and it is found in people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. It has large amounts of eumelanin and is less dense than other hair colors. Brown hair is characterized by higher levels of the dark pigment eumelanin and lower levels of the pale pigment pheomelanin. Red hair (also referred to as titian or ginger hair) varies from a deep orange-red through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. Grey or white hair is not actually a true grey or white pigment. In fact, it is clear due to lack of pigmentation and melanin. The clear hairs are seen as grey or white because of the way light hits it.
Grey hair is often considered to be inevitable part of life and the aging process. Graying of hair generally results from a gradual replacement of pigmented hair by unpigmented hair as the melanocytes shut down pigment production as one gets older. This graying process often starts at around age forty (although it can begin much earlier or later) with the onset and rate of graying apparently controlled mainly by genetics. By some estimates, approximately 50 percent of all women will be at least partially grey by the age of fifty. In most cases, the graying process has generally been considered irreversible; once the hair follicle starts to produce grey hair, it is not likely to change back. Thus, for most individuals with graying or already-turned grey hair the options are limited: acceptance of the situation or masking with colorants, bleaches, dyes, highlights, head coverings, or wigs. However, once coloring techniques are used they must be repeated (or at least touched up) on a regular basis to maintain the color and avoid undesirable grey roots.
A substantial number of hair treatment cosmetic preparations are unsatisfactory since they contain chemical compounds that are not needed to repair the hair. Such unneeded chemical compounds may cause additional damage to the hair or coat the hair in a manner that adversely impacts the appearance of the hair. Other treatments target specific types of damage and may require combination with other cosmetic treatments to repair all of the damage to the hair. Interactions between the various cosmetic treatments may create additional difficulties. Persons having sensitive skin may experience adverse reactions to the chemicals present within these cosmetic treatments.
Many of these remedies or therapies whether they be found in the scientific, patent or popular literature have met with varying degrees of success; ranging from outright failure for the most part to drugs such as Rogaine® (minoxidil) which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for promoting hair growth. Rogaine has met with a limited degree of success in promoting hair growth and has caused at least some of its users to suffer from certain adverse reactions to their scalps. In addition, it must be used on a continuing basis, there can be no cessation in its use, and it is an expensive medicine.
The following publications are being incorporated in their entireties by reference:    Ansel's Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems Loyd V Allen (Editor), Nicholas G. Popovich (Editor), Howard C. Ansel (Editor) Lippinott Williams & Wilkins; Ninth Edition (Jan. 1, 2010), and    Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy (Remington the Science and Practice of Pharmacy) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Twenty first Edition (May 1, 2005)
Thus, it has been long felt and unsolved need, therefore, to provide alternatives for combating grey hair, especially ones which will increase and promote the overall healthiness of the hair. There is also a need to provide a method by which, grey hair development can be significantly delayed and prevented. It would also be desirable to provide a method by which, at least in some cases, already-turned grey hair can be restored to its original natural color.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dietary/food supplement which contains naturally occurring ingredients which are, in combination, effective for promotion of hair pigment restoration.